Not In Tamriel Anymore
by BlindMediaProductions
Summary: Alduin is a great, powerful dragon. So powerful, some say he has the ability to travel through space, time and dimensions. During her final battle with him the Dragonborn experiences this power first hand, finding herself launched into Middle Earth under the care of Fili and Kili after the brothers rescue her from some of the many unforeseen dangers of their world.
1. Chapter 1 - Orcs

"Fili, wait for me!" Kili yelled as his brother ran out the door, strapping on his quiver and following as quickly as he could.

"You're too slow, Kili!" Fili laughed as he took off, moving swiftly but quietly through the woods that surrounded their house.

The brothers were going hunting that day. It wasn't supposed to be anything other than just another hunting adventure, shooting down deer or rabbits or whatever other game they could catch for furs and bones to trade in the nearby town for other things they'd need and meat to smoke and dry for the coming winter. Already the trees were turning the brilliant fire colors of fall, and some were barren from heading into hibernation a little earlier than the rest.

"Fili, I said wait!" Kili called, seeing his brother up ahead being still as he stood hidden behind a bush.

"Quiet Kili." Fili held up one hand as Kili came near, silencing the younger dwarf.

"What is it?" Kili asked, squinting through the thick foliage in attempt to see whatever it was Fili was seeing.

"Orcs." Fili replied, the single word sending a shiver through both of them as they shifted to get better views while trying to stay hidden.

True enough there was a band of orcs passing by, all of them on foot. No wargs to be seen, which was odd, but then Kili made a subtle hand movement and pointed to his brother than the small band were carrying one other with them. A woman by the looks of the lithe body, clothed in rags and a hood to hide her face. There was blood on her clothing around a few tears, so she was clearly wounded, and it was Kili who made the first face stating silently that they should go save her. Fili objected with a frown, but Kili would have none of it and quickly moved from his hiding place to a higher ground, his bow drawn and an arrow knocked in the string. He waited just a few moments for Fili to either move into place or get out of the way, and he smiled to himself as he saw Fili swiftly get himself into a position to better ambush the orc party when the assault started. As soon as Fili was still Kili let the arrow fly, the tip finding purchase in the skull of the orc who was carrying the girl. He thought it was best to take that one out first, just in case the others decided to bolt once they found themselves under attack.

It turned out to be a smart move, as once the first orc went down the rest seemed scrambled. Kili took another shot, downing a second orc, and Fili moved from his cover to get between the fleeing remainder and the girl so that they would not trample her. His swords were drawn but none of them put up a fight, choosing to run for their lives instead of facing a mostly unknown enemy. A third and final arrow whizzed through the air, striking an orc in the back and taking it down before he ran from the tree he'd been hiding up to help Fili with the girl.

"Is she breathing?" He asked, putting his bow back across his back but keeping a careful ear out for the orcs returning with wargs or natural predators of the forest coming to investigate the noise of combat.

"I think so. Come on, let's get her up and out of here." Fili wisely suggested, reaching down to grab one of her arms and try to haul her up.

Kili helped, and between the two they managed to get her back to the safety of their small house in the woods. They lived, hunted and did just about everything together being brothers but also because they were awaiting the day when their uncle Thorin would live up to his promise of taking them along on the journey to reclaim the dwarven homeland of Erebor. Being together just made it easier, and this particular time was no exception to the rule as they got the girl inside and into one of the beds in a spare room. Fili went to get their medical kit to start patching her up, but Kili was too curious for his own good and tugged at her hood until it came off. With a startled scream he quickly backed up, pressing his back to the wall just as Fili came through the door.

"What is it, brother?" Fili raised a curious eyebrow, following Kili's terrified stare to the girl on the bed.

She clearly wasn't human, that much was obvious by the shape of her face. It was humanoid but with some characteristics of a cat such as a slightly flat upper lip, a cat-like nose and large ears sticking out of her head. Neither of them had ever seen anything like her, she appeared to be part white tiger and part human, for she clearly had hands and feet and otherwise human proportions but her body was covered in fur and she had nasty looking pairs of claws on her fingers and toes. There was silence for a moment as the brothers got a better look at what little of her they could see before Fili wrapped his head around the strangeness first and walked towards her.

"Kili, write a letter to uncle Thorin and tell him what happened. When you go to town to mail it, trade the furs we have left for some meats since we could not hunt today. Go as quick as you can, we may have to watch her in shifts until she wakes up in case there's something wrong with her that we can't see." Fili wasn't demanding but the tone of his voice said he wasn't to be argued with and Kili did exactly as he was told, rushing to another room of the house to get a bit of parchment, a quill and some ink to begin writing the letter.

In the meantime Fili began to gently remove her clothing so he could get a better look at where she was wounded. He assumed that since she had a humanoid shape she probably had a similar skeletal structure and could be mostly treated the same way he had treated his brother in the past when he'd been injured. That in mind he started with her arms, placing a salve over the deeper cuts before putting on bandages that covered most of her lower and upper arms. Her torso seemed fine, and he was not shy about touching it gently to make sure none of her ribs were displaced, since thankfully her arms did not appear to be broken. With nothing seeming to be worse than just cuts and bruises he slid her out of her pants as well and gave her legs the same treatment as her arms. One of her ankles was a little swollen, probably strained, but otherwise she seemed fine. It was truly a miracle that she'd escaped with little more than cuts and bruises, though Fili thought that for sure there would be some internal damage if she was unconscious like this.

The hours passed slowly as Kili ran into the nearby town to do as his brother had instructed, returning with several cuts of meat and the news that the letter had been mailed out to Thorin explaining the situation and the fact that they really had no idea what this woman was or what to do with her. Hopefully he would reply or perhaps turn up in person if he could, knowing that the boys were not prepared to deal with a situation like this.

"Watch after her, I'm going to cook dinner." Fili got up from the chair he had pulled up beside the bed where the cat woman was still lying unconscious.

"Will do." Kili sighed, taking his brother's chair and sitting down before scooting a little bit further away from her.

The woman, whatever she was, had a set of claws that looked like they were meant to tear right through flesh and the shape of her body suggested she was a warrior. If she were to wake up while under his watch the younger dwarf wanted to be as far from her as he thought was safe while still being able to keep an eye on her for any problems. Fili had pulled some blankets up to cover her, if not to keep out the cold then for the sake of her modesty as she was naked since the older dwarf had pulled away most of the rags that she had worn as a sad excuse for clothing. Good thing, too, as Fili had walked out with them and Kili noticed that they were blood soaked, dirty and generally unfit to wear. Leaving them on her would probably have done more harm than good, and Kili sighed as he reached for a book and began to read while keeping an eye on her out of the corner of his eye. After all, she was breathing pretty regularly for now but one never knew when things would change.

Hours turned into days, and days into a week. The woman stayed unconscious, making it hard to maintain their regular routine. Instead of going out to do something together one brother went to do the task at hand while the other stayed to watch her. Fili changed her bandages daily and made sure she was fed, even if it was just a little bit of broth. She didn't seem to be getting better, however, and just when their hope was running thin there was a sign of hope. A message arrived from Thorin, stating that he would be on his way just a week or so behind the letter to see the mysterious woman for himself and do what he could to help them deal with her. It was a heavy relief for them both as Kili took another shift watching her into some nighttime hours while Fili slept, though he was not prepared for her to awaken during this time.

Still, awaken she did. It started slowly, she groaned a little and shifted almost uncomfortably in the bed. This wasn't unexpected, though, Kili had seen her shift around as if she were simply sleeping several times before. This time, however, her eyes fluttered open and she actually sat up, putting one hand on her head and squinting before seeming to realize she wasn't somewhere familiar. She'd been unconscious long enough for her wounds to heal, and the only bandages that remained were about half a dozen or so smaller ones covering some of the deep cuts that had been stubborn as far as healing, meaning her range of movement was not at all restricted and that potentially made her all the more dangerous. Kili was staying perfectly still, fearing that the movement would draw her attention to him before she had a chance to take in everything around her properly. That didn't stop her from spotting him rather quickly, however, and she drew her lips up before snarling and pulling her body into a crouched stance on the bed. Her fur was prickling and her tail swinging angrily as her golden eyes stared him down.

_You! Where am I? What's going on?_ She growled, eyes narrowing.

However, Kili was not familiar with the language she spoke. It sounded like a cross between the harsh language of the orcs and the mewling one would expect to hear from a cat. Though it was clear that she had asked him a question, Kili wasn't entirely sure how to respond and instead shut his book, setting it slowly on a nearby table and aware that her piercing eyes were watching his every move, her body ready to pounce if he reached for a weapon or did anything threatening. The younger dwarf raised his hands slowly, showing her that he was not a threat, then stood carefully. Thankfully Fili had heard the noise and came to his brother's aid, stopping in the doorway when the feline woman glared at him and hissed slightly in much the way any ordinary angered cat would.

"I don't think she speaks our language." Kili whispered, casting a glance sideways at Fili.

"So we have a language barrier, it seems. This is going to be fun." Fili said with a sarcastic tone, sighing under his breath.

_Of course I speak common. I just do not enjoy doing so. Stop speaking about me as if I'm not here._ The woman growled, her muscles tensing tighter as she prepared to make a move.

"Okay, calm down. We mean you no harm." Fili took a step forward, not flinching when she twitched as if she would attack him.

In this manner Fili managed to get close enough to extend a hand to her, keeping calm and not showing the fear he was feeling on the inside at facing down a woman who could pounce on him and probably have his face ripped into ribbons before Kili could react. That calm, the expression that said more than his words could in terms of his kindness and the fact that he outwardly showed no fear towards her even though she could smell it all over him was more than enough. Her body relaxed a little as she extended one hand to him as well and shook it, feeling the warmth there as he in turn could feel just how sharp her claws were but at the same time how she wasn't gripping all that tightly and making no attempt to dig them into his skin.

"See? We are not going to hurt you." Fili gently withdrew his hand, watching as the cat woman sat down and seemed less inclined to attack them now that she felt a bit safer.

_I hate speaking common, it's such a crude language._ She muttered, ears moving in all directions as she tried to take in the strange sounds of the new area and discern what was what.

"Kili, go get some clothes and heat that soup back up. I'm sure our guest is hungry." Fili was once again not exactly giving orders, but his tone of voice said that it was not a suggestion.

Doing as his brother asked, Kili got up slowly and made his way out of the room. He was aware of the woman watching his every move but tried not to think about it as he vanished back into the main of the house to put some of the soup back over the fire and try to find clothes that might fit the taller woman. She clearly had no regard for her own modesty, or at the very least was not used to wearing clothes wherever she came from, but that hadn't stopped the entire encounter from being extremely awkward despite the obvious danger of it all. By the time he had returned with what he'd been told to go get Kili could hear talking and stopped outside the door to listen in.

"My kind calls me Milah." The voice was gruff, deep but with clear feminine aspects on the edges and an accent that was unlike anything either of them had ever heard.

"The pleasure is all mine, Milah. I am Fili, and my brother is Kili. We found you being carried off by a band of orcs. Do you know what happened to you before that?" Fili was keeping his voice calm, talking as if the woman was not some stranger that had just woken up after being unconscious for a week or so but rather a friend that he'd known for many years.

Before she could answer Kili decided to make his presence known, walking through the doorway to the room but noticing that Milah was looking at him as if she already knew he'd been there. Didn't surprise him, though, and he put the soup on the table beside the bed before holding out the clothes to her.

"Here. I'm not sure if they'll fit, but you're quite a bit taller than both of us and this is the biggest we have." Kili waited until she took the tunic and pants from him before he went to lean against the door, waiting for her to answer Fili's question.

"Thank you. As to your question, Fili, I do not really remember much." Milah sighed, standing to pull the pants on before she continued. "The last I can remember, I was fighting against Alduin in the Sky Haven Temple. I think I….I stabbed him and then there was this bright light. That is all I can remember." With the pants hiked up and the slightly too small tunic on she looked a little awkward, but no more so than when she had been nude a few moments ago. "Where is my armor? My weapons?" She questioned, tilting her head at Fili in much the same way one would expect a curious cat to do.

"You did not have any when we rescued you. All you had were ragged clothes." Fili didn't like breaking such news, but it was the truth and he knew she would sense that in his voice.

"I see. That is too bad, I had much on me." She sighed, then perked up as if she'd had an idea. "Do you think that come the light of day we could go looking? I am sorry to impose, but I would at least like to look for my things."

"Of course, we found you not far from here and know what direction the orcs were carrying you from. But come now, you must be hungry and the hour is late. Eat and then sleep, we will wake you on first light." Fili stood, giving a slight bow before leaving the room.

Kili was not too far behind, and the brothers retreated to their own room on the other side of the house before daring to speak to one another about Milah and what they were going to do about her. They whispered so as not to be heard, and Kili had obvious objections to going out in attempt to seek her belongings when they could be miles off but Fili would have none of it. He and Milah were going to head out at daybreak to look, and Kili was to stay at the house and wait in case Thorin came. Letters could be slow and travel fast, which meant that the older dwarf could show up at any moment and one of them would need to be there for it.

"I don't like it, brother. You shouldn't be going out into the wilds alone with her, she's dangerous." Kili protested, pouting.

"And she knows that we saved her life, she will not hurt either of us. Besides, if we do manage to track down her belongings then it may tell us something more about her. After all, I don't know about you but I've never heard of a place called Sky Haven Temple in Middle Earth. Either she took a blow to the head and is not able to properly remember what happened or there is something more to her story. Even if we find nothing of hers, we might find where the orcs came from and that alone would be nice since you and I both know they've never been this close to our home before. This will be good, no matter the outcome." Fili was pressing, and again he had a tone to his voice that said this was not up for debate.

"Fine, you win. I will stay and wait for uncle Thorin then. Just promise me you'll be careful out there, will you?" Kili was still pouting, but that stopped as Fili reached a hand out to ruffle his dark hair.

"I will, Kili. Now, get some sleep. We will both need it for tomorrow." Fili laid down and closed his eyes, confident that his brother was not far behind. A good night's sleep and perhaps they would all see things with clearer vision after a proper rest.

* * *

A/N - Hey guys, Anica here! That's right, this crackpot story is mine, not Lilith's. Well, Lilith helped me come up with the idea and encouraged me to write it, but the writing is all mine.

I'd like to first say thanks for even reading this first chapter and giving this story a chance. I realize it's a bit strange even for a crossover, but I'm trying my best to make it good for all you faithful readers out there.

Second, I would like to address some questions that have been asked via reviews. Namely for this chapter why I chose a Khajiit. My first play of Skyrim was a Khajiit, and after having done plays with all the different races the Khajiit remains my favorite of all the playable races. Argonians are a close second, but I love the Khajiit just a little bit more. Also someone mentioned that they were about as un-Tolkien a race as you can get, and while I wasn't thinking that at the time I think that just adds to the strangeness of her presence in Middle Earth.

Finally, I think there's a bit of confusion going on because I didn't make it super clear. Milah is of the Suthay-raht variety of Khajiit, whereas the kind seen in Skyrim are the Cathay. There's really not much of a difference except that the Suthay-raht are a bit smaller and have what are called plantigrade legs. It basically means that their legs look kinda like a squirrel's hind legs instead of human legs. I'm just actually sad that you're stuck playing the Cathay variety in Skyrim, because if I had a choice I'd always play a Suthay-raht :)


	2. Chapter 2 - Nightingales

The night hours were slow to pass as Milah just stared at the ceiling of the small house. Kili and Fili had been kind to her indeed by rescuing and taking care of her, but something didn't seem right about the world around her. Things sounded different, they even smelled different. As a Khajiit she'd been all over Tamriel, so unless somehow Alduin's power had sent her to another continent within Nirn she really had no idea where she was. Yet the more she focused on the world around her, the more that didn't really seem possible. Even within Nirn something would be familiar, the sound of an animal or the scent of the air. It was all too much to take in, and finally Milah couldn't help herself. She shifted to a sitting position, then stood on her shaky legs and walked over to the window on the other side of the room.

Looking up at the sky, Milah was almost shocked. Rather than the two moons of Masser and Secunda in the sky there was only a single moon. None of the constellations seemed familiar to her at all; the stars seemed to be in a completely different alignment. Milah supposed that she could be south in Pyandonea or out in Thras, but from what she'd heard of the continents they did not match the description of where she was now, and the absence of her beloved moons spoke more to this fact than anything else. Was it possible she was in an entirely new place? A new world? There were rumors that the Shouts of dragons, especially one so powerful as Alduin, could have such abilities as traveling through time if they were mastered. Was it possible that with the last of his power, as she took his soul from his body, he had sent her to another world?

Such things would have terrible implications. Milah had never been a mage to begin with but she'd always had some inherent magic ability. Now she couldn't feel the mana in her body anymore. As a member of the Thieves Guild the Daedric Lord Nocturnal had always watched over her, but Milah felt as if those that walked in the shadows were no longer present. Always she had felt them, the past members turned to ethereal energy and guardians who stood beside the members of the guild and helped to grant them Nocturnal's luck with all their endeavors. Without at least that and the ability to use what little magic she had to heal herself or help deal with an enemy that had a specific elemental weakness Milah felt extremely unprotected, a feeling which made her wish more than ever that she was home.

With nothing more to do Milah scooted a chair over to the window and stared out into the night as the moon passed in the sky and the strange stars moved overhead. She didn't sleep but rather simply thought, allowing herself to be lost in that as her tail swung behind her and her chest rose and fell with her breathing. Finally the sun began to creep over the horizon, and Milah sighed as she stood and stretched. Her body felt funny from laying in the bed for so long, her muscles longed to feel the thrill of a chase or the rush of combat. After all, her life had always been as such. Even when she traveled as an armed escort for a Khajiit caravan to Skyrim, even when she chose to settle down in that frozen province and live in the manor she built for herself in Falkreath. She was the Dragonborn, and as soon as that fact came to light all her training and the lifetime of living day to day, waiting for the next time the caravans might be attacked or her life would come into danger, it was all put to the test. Killing dragons had been her life after that for nearly three years, along with sneaking into places to rob them on behalf of the Thieves Guild, seeking out the Daedric artifacts for her own personal gain and doing bounty work for any of the various holds. Delving into Dwemer ruins or bandit filled caves, serving the different guilds and colleges. There was never a moment's rest, she rarely got to sleep in her own bed or see a familiar face for more than a week at a time before she was on the move again. Yet such was how she had become used to living, and it was a life that Milah truly enjoyed because each day she felt accomplished in some manner. Now, though, in this alien world, there was no telling what would happen. It made her uneasy to say the least, but Milah tried not to let those feelings show as she heard the brothers awaken with the tweeting of the early morning birds and the first scant rays of the sunlight starting to shimmer through the windows. A knocking at her door also made her ears turn, but she already knew who it was.

"Milah, the sun is rising. We will be leaving soon." Fili called through the door after he had knocked a few times, hoping that she would be up.

With a yawn Milah stood and put her hands on her lower back, leaning backwards and feeling a bit refreshed as her spine popped and a few of her joints stretched out after the period of not being in use. It was nice, and she smiled as she straightened the clothing before exiting the room. Her midriff was showing since the tunic was too small, but at least she felt it offered some protection against the world around her.

"I am ready when you are, Fili." Milah said as she approached the blonde dwarf, flexing her claws while he pulled on some boots and made sure his weapons were strapped in.

"Good. Here's breakfast, let's go." Fili handed Milah a piece of tied up cloth that contained an apple and some dried meat before heading out.

Milah was not far behind him, and chewed on the meat as she walked with him while paying very close attention to the world. Even the sun looked different now that she could see it a little more clearly in the clouded sky; it seemed farther away than it did on Nirn. Even Fili and Kili, though they looked to be small Nords of some kind, smelled different than the people she had encountered before. Of course she hadn't asked them yet, because if there was one thing Milah knew well it was that saying the wrong thing could get her branded insane and thrown in some prison for the rest of her life. She'd seen it happen to many of her kind in foreign lands when they were high on Skooma or searching for a fix, and she was determined not to let it happen to her.

"Here we go, this is where we picked you up. The orcs were heading this way, so I think they came from that direction." Fili stopped as they reached what remained of the bodies of the three orcs that Kili had shot down the week before when the brothers had rescued Milah, pointing off in what was clearly some still disturbed brush to indicate where they'd come from.

"Thank you, this is all I will need to track them." Milah looked at the half rotted, picked clean corpses and sighed; this was not going to be pleasant.

Walking over to the nearest one she inhaled deeply, trying to distinguish the smell of the orc from the world around her and then matching it to a similar scent. After a few moments she'd picked it up, and like a bloodhound she was off back through the trail the orcs had made through the forest. Fili was not far behind her, and after walking for what seemed like forever Milah finally pushed aside a branch and found herself facing the entrance to a cave. It reeked of orc but under that was a more familiar scent, which sent her running from that point until she skidded to a halt at the mouth of the cave. It was large but not very deep, and she could see and smell the remnants of a fire.

"Huh, the orcs must have camped here for the night before moving on in the morning with you in tow. Think your things are here?" Fili gave Milah a curious glance, but was glad to see that she seemed relatively sure of herself as she nodded.

"I know at least some of it is. I just hope that my armor is somewhere nearby." With that said Milah took the first steps into the cave, glad that because of the large opening there was plenty of room for the light to filter in.

Overall the cave was a mess, but there was a chest in one corner that seemed to be mostly intact. It was odd for orcs to leave a chest behind, but then maybe they were going to come back for it? Whatever the reason, however, Milah could smell her own scent around and in the chest so she walked over and knelt down by it. There was a lock but it didn't look all that complicated, and within seconds she had used the claw on one of her fingers as a makeshift lockpick and pulled the top open. Almost instantly she seemed to visibly relax, and Fili scooted a little closer to see what was in the chest.

Milah pulled out a set of armor, hugging it as she did so. It appeared to be made of some kind of dark, almost black, leather or fabric and it was layered in much the same way regular leather armor was. On the chest was an insignia, circular in shape and resembling a bird stretching its wings up to a full moon that sat at the top. Fili couldn't remember seeing an emblem like that ever before, and he had studied many subjects under his uncle's instructions in order to prepare for their eventual journey to reclaim Erebor. With a heavy sigh Milah ran her hand over the bird's wings and then shook her head, folding the armor nicely on the ground beside her before also producing a backpack from the chest. It seemed ordinary, and from inside one of the pockets Milah pulled a small bundle of lockpicks that were tied together with string and a book. It was bound in black, bearing only a small silver stylized dragon on the cover. There was no title on the spine, but Milah seemed to know the book anyway.

"When misrule takes its place at the eight corners of the world. When the Brass Tower walks and Time is reshaped. When the thrice-blessed fail and the Red Tower trembles. When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower falls. When the Snow Tower lies sundered, bleeding, kingless. The World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn." She muttered under her breath, holding the book close to her chest.

"Is that some kind of prophecy or something?" Fili asked, too curious now about the little verse she had recited.

"Something like that. Perhaps someday I can explain it to you." Milah just gave a sad smile before putting the book back and looking through the chest some more.

There were three more books, one a brownish color with a knotted pattern around the edge and the other two were bluish green. All looked old and as if they had been read several times, almost to the point where they seemed to be falling apart at the seams. She also produced a single handed blade and a bow made of materials of similar color to the armor and bearing the same sigil on them. There was also a quiver with arrows made of a wooden base, bone arrowheads and dark feathers for the fletching. Finally came a small pouch, and as Milah opened it Fili could see a small assortment of precious gems inside along with a necklace. It had a gold chain and pendant, decorated with a large amethyst and two smaller ones on the sides. Almost instantly she slipped it on, holding the pendant tightly in one hand. Fili gave her a few moments to do whatever she was doing and would have let her go on, but something soon caught his ears.

"Milah, I think we should go now. It isn't safe here." Fili's voice had a sense of urgency to it, and Milah's ears twitched as she heard the approaching footsteps as well.

"Too late, they will see us." Milah hissed, quickly putting the armor in her backpack before standing and shouldering it. Her quiver seemed to fit perfectly under the bag pressed against her back, and the sword almost looked as if it belonged strapped to her side. The bow was in her hands and she seemed extremely comfortable holding it, as if she had used it many times before.

Without warning she ran out of the cave and towards the trees, scampering to the highest branches and almost vanishing within the leaves. Fili could still make her out, though just barely, and decided it was best to hide at the back of the cave near the chest. He crouched down, looking out the mouth of the cave and trying to see what was approaching. Meanwhile, in the tree, Milah decided it was time to take a chance. She knew how to channel her energies into a Shout and though she could no longer feel them within her it was unlikely that they were completely gone. That in mind she closed her eyes and focused, allowing the words to slip easily past her lips.

"Laas Yah Nir." She spoke, feeling nothing but still being able to see the effects of her Aura Whisper. The world changed around her, the trees turned a shade of blue while Fili turned an almost yellowish color. It was faint, but she could see more yellow figures moving in the trees not too far off. Whatever they were they were riding horses, for she could see the outlines clearly and by now hear every step their hooves took in the dirt.

~Focus, Milah. Focus.~ She thought to herself, trying to catch a smell in the air that would tell her what these approaching creatures were. Finally something familiar reached her, though she almost didn't believe it. Elves, though they were not wood or dark or high elves. They had a different scent, with just the slightest undertone that she was used to smelling when it came to elves.

"Zul Mey Gut!" Milah let the Shout go forth, her voice echoing from somewhere seemingly far away and sounding more like a scream for help than the Shout she had spoken.

Almost instantly, much to her relief, the elves turned their horses and headed for where they thought the sound had come from. As soon as they were a safe distance off she scurried down from the tree and motioned for Fili to follow her. He nodded and hurried out without a word, speaking only when they were nearly halfway back to where the fallen orcs were.

"What was all that about?" He inquired, leaving the question open to see how she'd answer.

"Elves of some kind, on horseback. They may have been investigating the orcs or they may have just been traveling. Either way, I didn't feel like dealing with them." She shrugged, but stopped in her tracks when she felt Fili grab her hand.

"I mean those strange words you spoke and the powers they yielded. Are you some kind of wizard?" He seemed honestly confused and Milah sighed as she shook her head.

"I suppose you could say that. Look I really don't want to talk about it, alright? I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything that's going on here. Right now I just want to go back, put on my armor and think." Without pulling too hard Milah managed to get out of Fili's grip and keep going, though she heard him rush to catch up a moment later.

"That is something I can understand, but will you at least promise me something then? I won't push the subject any further for now if you do." Fili kept stride with her, waiting curiously to see if she'd agree to his offer.

"That depends on what you wish me to promise." She muttered, looking down at him with a curiously arched eyebrow.

"We wrote a letter to our uncle Thorin the day we rescued you. The original intention of his coming was to help us figure out what to do with you, but now that you are awake something else will need to be done. Will you promise me that when Thorin arrives you will tell us the truth? No matter how crazy it might sound, tell us everything. Thorin might be able to help, but if he'll need to know everything in order to do so." Fili seemed serious about the offer, and Milah figured that maybe it would be good to tell the truth.

"Fine, I promise. But in return, you have to make me a promise." Milah turned around, stopping dead in her tracks as she looked down at the dwarf.

"Of course." Fili gave her a serious face.

"No matter what I say, I want at least you to believe me. Because I think that some of my tale will seem unbelievable, like the rantings of someone gone mad. I don't care what your brother and your uncle think, but I want at least you to believe me." Milah was serious now, but seemed relieved when Fili nodded gently.

"Then I promise, Milah, that I will believe you. After all, you haven't lied to us yet. You've kept some of the truth away and told partial truths, but you have not lied. I have no reason to think that when you begin your tale you will lie to us." Fili smiled a bit, then continued walking.

Milah was not far behind him, and in due time they had returned to the small house where the brothers lived. It was now nearly lunch time, but Milah was not feeling very hungry. Instead she retreated to what was for the moment her room and changed into her armor, feeling a little more at home when she moved and it moved with her, when she could smell the familiar scents all over it and hear the leather creaking as it contoured to her shape again. Then she cried. The Khajiit cried for her home, for all the people and the lifestyle that she had left behind. For her Goddess, however dark she was, and for her own fears. The emotions overwhelmed her, and so with her weapons on the floor and her backpack in a chair Milah curled up on her bed and sobbed. Her body racked with them until she had no more tears to cry, there was nothing left but that fear. Fear that she let herself be drawn into for the moment as she stretched out her mind to embrace the darkness and fell into the silence of sleep.

Fili came in a while later to tell her lunch was ready, but when he saw her curled up in the bed clutching onto the pendant and clearly having cried herself to sleep he just sighed. In one swift move he pulled the blankets up over her and leaned over to kiss her cheek gently, pushing a strand of her braided hair out of her face. Then he left to tell Kili that she was sleeping, hoping that if she was aware of his actions she would not be too angry with him when she woke.

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A/N - Hello my wonderful readers, Anica again! Thank you for reading the second chapter, it means a lot to me. This time I'm going to answer a specific question from a review about why Milah recognized that the elves were different from those in Skyrim but not the orcs.

You guys are amazing, and you deserve the truth - I forgot orcs were a thing in Skyrim. They're ugly in my opinion and I'm at a stage in my current play where unless I'm running into them as bandits I don't see them at all. It was a mistake on my part, and I apologize. However, perhaps it was for the best in a way. After decomposing for a week they'd hardly be recognizable by sight and though she was looking for their scent let's face it, orcs are orcs. In Skyrim the elves come in several varieties depending on where they hail from and each type has visible variations to skin tone, height, even facial structure whereas elves in Middle Earth pretty much look the same all the way around with variations only for genetics the same way humans would have them. Finally keep in mind that Milah would have been looking for a specific type of elf because wood elves would be more likely to cooperate with her and high elves would probably want to kill her on sight for her actions back in Skyrim so it would be more noticeable to her that the elves had a different scent. Or at least, that's how I chose to see it for now :)


	3. Chapter 3 - Truth

Before anyone knew it the week had flown by. After that first day when she picked up her things Milah went back to normal as if nothing had happened. Kili tried to press her for information, but she always skirted around the issue or would walk away from the conversation. Despite this, in that week she became almost like a big sister to the two, understanding their closeness and minding the house as they went hunting or traveled to town. She cooked for them, and about midway through the week even surprised them by reorganizing and cleaning most of the house - their bedroom was the exclusion. Anything Milah could do to keep herself busy and her body on the go, because she didn't want to become too content with sitting around and doing almost nothing. Her life was that of a wandering warrior, and as soon as her business with this Thorin fellow was over she planned to leave and find her own way in this new world.

Thorin's arrival was mostly expected, he arrived six days after his letter at about mid-day with a knock on the door. Kili and Fili were out hunting again so Milah was quick to answer the knocking, thinking it to be only the mail. Not that they were expecting any letters, but perhaps it was something from Thorin or even other dwarves, Milah didn't know what to expect so she simply opened the door and looked upon the knocker with a bit of a surprised expression. Despite having never seen him before she presumed this to be Thorin, for she could see the family resemblance to the brothers.

"Hello, you must be Thorin. Kili and Fili are out right about now, but come on in." She stepped aside and allowed the dwarf in, closing the door behind him before moving back into the kitchen to stir a pot of stew that was over the fire.

"Yes, and you must be the woman they wrote me about. I was not aware you had awakened." Thorin looked more confused than anything as he stared at her, almost seeming as if he was studying her.

By now Milah had gotten herself some other clothes, mostly fashioned from fabrics brought back from town and some furs from hunted animals. Her armor was folded up in her room as always, and she would not wear it again until it was time to depart from the brothers. She was wearing such clothes now, long pants of fabric and a leather tunic with some fur around the wrists for warmth. It didn't stop her from looking out of place, but at least it helped a little bit.

"Ah, I forgot about that. I believe I woke around the time your letter came, and the boys decided to wait for your arrival instead. My name is Milah, by the way." She smiled a little, ears twitching as she grabbed some bowls and began to dish out the stew.

"Uncle Thorin! We thought that was you we heard." Fili smiled as he came through the door just when Milah was putting the bowls on the kitchen table.

"Glad you two are home. Find anything out there?" Milah asked, sounding almost as though she was their mother.

"No, not really." Kili sulked, shoulders slumping as he pulled his boots off.

"Well it's not all bad. Lunch is ready." Milah smiled, putting the last two bowls down before taking her usual seat.

Despite looking utterly confused at first, Thorin seemed to at the very least tolerate Milah's presence and a conversation started up. It was moreso Thorin who did the talking, speaking of how he had made the Blue Mountains a home for his people after their displacement from Erebor. It wasn't the best, but it was something while he waited for the signs of the old prophecy about the Lonely Mountain so they could go and reclaim it.

"So Milah, I have a question. I will admit that I have not seen anything of your kind here in Middle Earth before, so where exactly do you come from?" Thorin turned his attention to Milah and looked at her curiously.

Milah bit her lip nervously, looking around at the three dwarves. She had promised Fili the truth, and now Thorin was basically outright asking her. There was no way he could have known, of course, but it was bound to come out sooner or later. With a heavy sigh she thought on where to begin, then actually started her tale.

"I guess it's safe to say that I'm not from Middle Earth. I was born in a world called Nirn, on the continent of Tamriel in the province of Elsweyr. My people are called the Khajiit, and I in particular am of the Suthay-raht variety, for how much like beasts or men we are is determined by the phases of the two moons in our sky. Even within Elsweyr there are different societies, and I was born to the northern tribes. We were a nomadic people, always wandering the deserts and following our herds as they roamed across the sands in search foods and an oasis to quench their thirsts."

The story continued as Milah talked about how she went to Skyrim, the bloody civil war that was raging there between the Imperials and the Stormcloaks, how she came to be at Darkwater Crossing and was nearly beheaded at the hands of the Empire. Then there was Alduin's return, and how she then became involved with the Grey Beards and became the Dragonborn. She spoke of the guilds she joined, the Daedric Lords she served and how she had wiggled her way into being Thane of all the holds of Skyrim to gain the favor of the Jarls and be able to get away with just about anything she needed to do in order to obtain information on the return of the dragons. The three dwarves looked confused throughout the entire story but said nothing, not interrupting Milah as she spoke until at last her story seemed to be coming to an end.

"Finally, it all came down to one battle. I headed into Sky Haven Temple to face Alduin. I wound up having to go all the way into Sovengarde, which is the realm where the souls of Nords go to sit with their ancestors. They drink and tell stories of their greatness in life and it is in a way paradise for them in the afterlife. So we battled, and I defeated Alduin but apparently not without great cost. I believe that with the last of his power Alduin sent me to another dimension, namely here in Middle Earth. I don't know how to get home, or if that's even a possibility for me as Alduin's power was far beyond my own. Even the weakest of dragons has more raw power than I do as a Dragonborn, and Alduin being the most powerful of their race...Well, let's just say that I'm surprised I was able to defeat him, but I am not surprised that his defeat came at such a great cost." With that last sentence she fell silent, looking to the dwarves with a little bit of worry. She probably sounded completely insane, but that was her story and she was going to stick to it.

"Well, as fantastic of a story as that seems I can't say I believe a word of it." Thorin looked across the table at Milah, wondering if she was just stringing them along for whatever reason.

"Uncle, be reasonable. I know it's hard to believe, I'm having trouble myself, but look at her. You've traveled across Middle Earth, you of all people should know that nothing like her exists here." Fili instantly stuck up for Milah, seeing her appear to be almost dejected even if was somewhat to be expected that Thorin would not believe her. In fact, Milah got up from the table and went back to her room with a walk that said she was visibly upset, though Thorin just watched her go with an arched eyebrow before noticing the way Fili was looking at her.

"I can see why you would want to believe her, Fili, but she could be anything. I have seen the power of the wizards that walk this world and they are not the only ones who have magic. She could be a trick of some wizard or she could be a wizard herself, there is no way to tell. You are both still young and -" Thorin was cut off by Milah's return, the girl dropping her armor onto the table with a glare.

"Tell me this armor is something you recognize, then. This is the Nightingale armor, granted to me when I joined the order." As Thorin looked at the strange armor she had brought out Milah also laid the four books on the table. "These books are those that I always kept on me, to remind me of who I am. This one is the creation myth of the world that my people made, this one is about the Dragonborn and these two were written about the Nightingales as guidelines on how to properly serve our Lady and what our order is about." Her voice was almost a snarl as she stood up and straightened her bow as it sat across her back before walking out the front door, gone before anyone could react to her.

There was silence for a few moments as none of them were sure what to say. Fili and Kili both respected and looked up to their uncle but in those few short days Milah had become like an older sister to the two and they were having difficulty believing that she would do anything to hurt them. The brothers were torn, and stayed quiet as Thorin looked over the armor she'd left on the table and leafed through the books. There was no noise except the pages turning before Thorin put down the last book and stared across the table at his nephews. It was obvious from the look on his face that he was still not convinced, and Fili frowned as he realized that there was probably nothing that would persuade Thorin into believing she was telling the truth.

"I still say this could be the work of magic, though it is clear that you two believe her. I cannot make choices for you two, but I can offer my advice because I care about you. I think she's trouble, and if she wants to go then let her. And keep in touch, I will be expecting regular letters weather she stays or not. Some of the signs are starting to show, and I think that the time for us to take back Erebor is near." That said, Thorin stood and gave the boys a hug before departing.

It was midafternoon and despite having only stayed for a few hours Thorin felt that so long as Milah was present he would not be welcome by her because of his disbelief. She was gone now but he did not wish to face her potential wrath or interfere any further in the lives of his nephews. They had their own lessons to learn, and if one such lesson was that not everyone could be trusted because of something Milah would do to them then so be it. Besides, he couldn't afford to be away for very long when his people were counting on him to help make sure the Blue Mountains stayed a safe home for them, which sadly was a much bigger priority than looking after Fili and Kili on every misadventure they got into.

Milah returned to the house as the sun was going down, dragging with her parts of a deer that she'd killed. The corpse had already been gutted and cleaned, and she gladly handed it off to Kili as she walked in the door. He was waiting for her, it seemed, but Fili was nowhere to be found and Milah raised a curious eyebrow at the brunette brother, asking the question without saying a word.

"He went after Thorin, said he'd be back sometime tomorrow." Kili pulled the deer up, starting to drag it to the small shack in the back of the house that they reserved for butchering animals.

"I see. Well I won't be a problem much longer, I will be out of your hair in a few days." Milah huffed, shutting the door to her room and curling up on her bed again.

Was she crazy? It was a question Milah had asked herself every day since she woke up in this strange world. She knew her own history, her books and her armor proved that it wasn't just something she'd made up. But Thorin had a point, Middle Earth did have magic users and while she didn't know a ton about them if they were anything like the mages in Nirn it wouldn't be impossible for one to create a new life form complete with false memories and such for a much darker purpose. In fact Milah found it odd that despite memories of another who would surely either be looking for a body he would never find or mourning her death she also had a slight crush on Fili. It was a feeling she knew well, for she had only ever felt it once before when meeting the aforementioned man in Skyrim. Or maybe that was false too, for she could not seem to remember his name or his face. In fact a lot of her memories from that time were already fading, the little details she could usually remember like the order in which she'd gone to the different holds or found the Daedric artifacts. Even a few of the Daedric names were slipping away, she could remember Azura because of the star, Namira for her ring, Meridia for the Dawnbreaker sword, Clavicus Vile because of the axe, Molag Bal for the mace, Boethiah for the armor. The rest were lost to her, which was about half of them, and even then she couldn't really remember what a few of the items looked like. The only one that really stuck was the Ring of Namira because she stared at it every day while it sat on her finger, the rest sat unused in her house until the final battle against Alduin.

Trying not to think too much on it, Milah found her hands once more on the pendant that hung around her neck. She ran her fingers over the set stones and tried to remember who the man had been, but it was to no avail. In time she drifted into an uneasy sleep, afraid to forget more of who she was. When she woke it was night, and oddly enough she sensed another presence in the room. Her night vision kicked in and her body tensed in fight or flight response to whoever was there. She calmed, however, as the being smelled familiar and her eyes fell upon Fili sitting in the chair she had dragged over to the window the first night she'd been awake. He was looking out much like she had, clearly awake but not yet having sensed that she was up.

"You know, it's rather dangerous to be in a woman's room at night." Milah teased as she sat up, yawning a little bit.

"I know. But you seemed to not be at ease while you slept and after what happened today I didn't want to be in the same room as my brother for the evening. I thought perhaps if I sat here quietly I might bring you comfort, or at the very least not disturb your sleep." Fili turned to look at her, and his expression showed the lack of happiness in the events of the afternoon.

"I am…..Sorry. Your uncle he….He seems like a good man, and I think he has the right to be skeptical. I never questioned that what I remembered was real, that the books and armor proved I was who I say I am but….Now I don't know. I can't seem to recall some things, like the faces of some people I met and the like. I'm starting to think that maybe I am just a being cooked up by some mage playing a cruel trick, and that if I stay I will just wind up hurting you. I couldn't bear that, not after how good you and your brother have been to me and…."Milah stopped, biting her lip as she looked down at her lap.

Her hands were shaking and her breath was starting to become ragged too. Tears were already welling in the corners of her eyes, and she was about to cry again. Her emotions were running high and worse yet it wasn't like her at all to be so emotional. Normally she could compartmentalize, file away anything she was feeling and deal with it at a later date. To her, this was just more proof that she wasn't what she remembered, that she was just some sick joke by a mage and as her existence continued her memories and personality would continue to unravel until eventually she'd lose all sense of who she was and become a feral killing machine. Milah was so lost in these thoughts that she didn't notice Fili getting up and walking over to her until he reached out and took one of her hands in his, holding it tightly in attempt to stop her shaking.

"Hey, I made you a promise didn't I? No matter what my uncle says, I believe your story. I believe that you are from another world, because even here a wizard would have to have immense power to create an all new being that's unlike anything we've ever seen. To make that armor and those books to back up the tale would take even more effort. I think the fact that your memories are fading might be a result of you trying to cope with being somewhere you're completely unfamiliar with, you know? Or maybe it's a result of being in a new world. Either way, I know that while you may forget some things you will never forget what's most important, and that's who you are. I may not have known you for long, but I believe that you are a good person and think it's a shame that you are suffering like this because you were trying to do the right thing." Fili's words were sincere, and Milah could not help but let her ears droop as she thought about it.

"I….Thank you, Fili. You believe me and that means more than you might ever know. I think that….If you will allow me, I would like to stay. I would like to go with you when Thorin calls upon you to help him take back your home in Erebor. I would like to prove to him that I only want to help, to repay you for saving me and being so kind to me even though I'm a stranger." Milah smiled a little, hoping that maybe something good could come out of this after all. She had found books in the house about what had happened with the dragon Smaug and the dwarven home of Erebor, and she knew from what Thorin had spoken about that he intended to attempt to bring it back under dwarven rule when the time was right.

"I would love for you to stay, Milah. When my uncle sends for us you are welcome to come along, if you like. From the sounds of things we could use a skilled warrior, Thorin thinks that we will get a wide variety of lifestyle choices in the few who will come with us when the time comes, and none but himself, us and one or two others will battle hardened or even prepared for the rigors of the road. Thorin might not like it at first but I think in time he'll come around, especially if you prove yourself along the journey. And if you were part of a guild that specializes in stealing things from people, I think you will do just fine." Fili smiled too, letting go of Milah's hand and reaching up to put one hand on her head. "Now, get some proper sleep okay?"

"And what about you? You look more tired than I am." Milah joked, feeling a little better knowing that she was accepted despite everything.

"I'll probably sleep in the main room, Kili's already snoring away in our bedroom." Fili stood to leave, but let out a surprised gasp as he was pulled back with a bit of force, falling onto the bed next to Milah.

"This bed is big enough for two. Why don't you stay?" She whispered, a bit of a purr to her words.

"I suppose that's not such a bad idea." Fili didn't object, but instead pulled the blankets up over both of them and closed his eyes.

No further words were spoken between the pair, the night was filled only with the sound of their breathing and the occasional shuffling of the blankets as one of them shifted positions. It was a comfortable darkness for the both of them, and the morning would find the sheets tangled but both of them happy as they untangled themselves and went to get dressed for just another regular day, one that was sure to be part of a long string of regular days until the adventure could begin.

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A/N - This should have been up 2 days ago, but I've been beating myself up over this chapter for some reason. I don't like it as much as I do the other ones, at all, but there's no point in letting it sit on my computer for ages. So enjoy, and please don't beat me up too bad for this. You're free to beat me up once the story ends, though XD


	4. Chapter 4 - The Journey

Days passed. Time ticked away into weeks, weeks turned to months and the months slowly became years. Three years passed as Milah lived with Fili and Kili, all the while keeping her promise to never hurt the brothers. Instead she went hunting with them and minded the house when they went to the nearby town to trade for supplies since it was generally agreed that her appearance would be too strange to risk being seen by anyone else. Letters were written to Thorin on a regular basis, always stating that she was there still and always receiving a return of Thorin voicing his objection to her presence. It didn't make any difference, though, as Milah refused to let it get to her and in turn seemed to double her efforts for a few days after the arrival of each letter as if to prove him wrong. It was a solitary life, but Milah was already used to that so it didn't make much difference.

Over those years the Khajiit lost much of who she was. The books and the armor were her only memories of home, and so she only seemed to remember things about them. She never forgot being a Nightingale or serving Nocturnal, but the fact that there were two others who also served and who they had been slipped away from her. It was frustrating, at first, until it came to a point where she couldn't really remember that she'd forgotten and seemed to have mixed the things she learned about Middle Earth through books and stories told by the brothers with her real past. To see Milah change so was a bit disheartening, but there was little that Fili or Kili could do to help her. So it was that time marched on, until one day a letter arrived from Thorin. This was not an unexpected event, but the contents of that letter were what would set into motion a chain of events that none of them would ever foresee.

"So, what does he say now? I presume your uncle still objects to me being here, even after all this time." Milah snorted a little, crossing her arms as she leaned against one of the kitchen counters.

"Actually, almost the opposite." Fili replied, raising a very curious eyebrow as he scanned the contents of the letter. "Uncle Thorin says we should reply immediately, then set out for the village of Bree. The rest of the company is gathering there and the time to take back Erebor is at hand. He also says you're welcome to come if you wish, Milah. Though I'm assuming that means you'll be under close watch the entire time, I don't think he trusts you but he knows that we do and even if he said no we'd probably bring you along anyway."

"Which we would. There's no way we would leave you behind for this adventure, Milah." Kili chimed in, almost bouncing with excitement as he thought about the road ahead.

"Thank you, it means much for me to hear you say that." Milah smiled, feeling somewhat relieved that she had Thorin's approval for at least this journey and that she was important enough to the brothers to be allowed to accompany them on such a journey.

"Hey, you're family now Milah. Anywhere we go so do you." Fili was sincere with these words, knowing that Milah needed the reassurance.

"Fili's right. So I say we write back and drop the letter off as we are heading out. We can stop in town and get a map to find our way out to Bree and mail the letter while we're at it." Kili was actually somewhat bouncing now, barely able to contain himself at the thought of the adventure to come.

"I will write the reply now, and we will go first thing in the morning. It's already midday, by the time we're packed and ready to go it'll be nightfall and I would like not to travel at night if we can help it. So, you two go get ready then." Fili shooed off Kili and Milah, then went into his bedroom to grab some parchment and begin writing back to Thorin telling him they would be coming.

Time seemed to pass almost in slow motion for Milah from that point on. She began to pack up what food they could take with them and pulled extra water from the well for the trip. There were bedrolls that she tied firmly to the tops of their packs and she made extra sure to slip the books into her own. Milah fully intended to wear her Nightingale armor for the journey, as she sensed it would make her feel more at ease and probably more protected since the Khajiit could always hide better with that armor on even though she was never sure if it was because the armor was magic or if it was just the power of her mind. Soon enough it was nightfall and all three packs sat on the kitchen table, ready to be worn the next morning at the start of what she was sure would be a long journey. Milah was in her room, laying in her bed and reading the first volume of The Nightingales again, letting her fingers run over the pages and words.

"Hey, is everything ready to go?" Fili poked his head in since her door had been open, stepping inside when he saw that she was reading.

"Yes. Each of our packs has a bedroll and equal amounts of food and water for the trip. Your pack has the medical kit and mine has the rest of my books. They're on the table, ready to go at first light." Milah sighed, closing the book and putting it on the table beside her bed as she sat up and tried to be mindful of the candle she had been reading by.

"Milah, I can't help but notice you haven't really been yourself all day. Is something bothering you?" Fili frowned, moving over to sit on the bed next to her as his own way of saying that he knew something was on her mind and he wasn't going to leave until she told him about it.

"I….I don't know. I feel like once we set out something terrible will happen. I can't put my finger on it, but I don't like thinking that we are in danger just from stepping out our front door." Milah looked towards the window, closing her eyes as she tried to focus on anything other than that horrible feeling.

"If I may say, I think you're just nervous about this adventure. Kili and I are nervous too you know, we have no idea what we will face out there and just because no one has seen Smaug in so many years doesn't mean he's not still in Erebor. We may have to face him once we get there, assuming we even do. Just getting there is going to be dangerous in itself." They had to cross the low lands where the orcs had nightly raiding packs, the mountains where the legends said the stone giants would do battle during storms and the goblins had their home deep beneath the stone. A forest that was the territory of the elves, and the city of men that dwelled at the base of the Lonely Mountain. There were uncountable dangers in the journey itself, and though the brothers seemed excited about it Fili knew that deep down both he and Kili were scared as well.

"Maybe. I hope that's all it is." Milah pulled her knees to her chest and curled her tail up around her waist as she sat there, trying to think that maybe Fili was right and she was just being overly sensitive to the thought of all the danger that awaited them on the journey.

"I'm sure it is. Now, get some sleep. We will need to be up at first light and this might be the last good night's sleep you get for a while." Leaning in, Fili gave Milah a gentle kiss on the forehead before blowing out the candle.

He left in the darkness, and Milah laid down to try and sleep. Once again she found herself clutching the pendant around her neck though she could not remember why it brought her comfort. It was a gift, she remembered that much, but from whom and why she also could not seem to recall. It didn't bother her, though, she was used to not really being able to pull on the memories of her past since it seemed to happen most of the time when she tried to think on anything that had happened to her before she lived with Fili and Kili. Still, holding the golden thing in her hand and running her fingers over the stones set into it helped ease her into sleep.

When the morning light broke Milah was up, hearing the brothers get up not long after her. By the time they were dressed and ready to go she was already in her armor, her tail tucked into it and her hood up to make it harder for others to recognize her as the odd creature she was. The gloves were fingerless which meant some of her hands were showing, but as long as she kept them to herself it would be still be difficult to tell. That put her at ease somewhat as she shouldered her pack, her bow and quiver nestled between her back and the bag and her sword strapped at her side. Soon enough they were all ready and set out, saying a somber goodbye to the small house they had shared before it disappeared into the trees.

They reached the town just as the sun had finished rising, splitting up for a bit. Fili and Kili went to mail the letter out to Thorin while Milah took the few furs they had accumulated since the last visit to trade for meat. The trio met back up on the edge of town and continued their journey, heading South-West according to a map that the brothers had picked up when they dropped the letter off. They had a route, and it would take them a few days to reach the town, but the journey would be a relatively easy one as long as they stayed on the roads.

It took them just under four days to reach Bree, the town coming into view just as the sun was setting. After a little bit of discussion it was agreed that they should press on so as to find safety inside the walls of the town for the evening and perhaps get a decent night's sleep not interrupted by having to keep watch or jumping at every sound. So with the sun's light fading they continued onward, having no idea of the danger that was waiting for them just as they exited the tree line and began to walk the space that had been cleared around the town. Milah heard the noise first, her ears twitching even under her hood before she made a split second decision. Without a word she stopped dead in her tracks, turning almost as if she would rush back the way they had come before stepping sideways just as an arrow whizzed out of the tree line. It caught her in the shoulder, though had she not gotten in the way it would have hit Kili in the back, and within seconds she had her bow drawn and an arrow knocked, aiming towards the trees and squinting to try and see in the darkness. Her natural night vision wasn't working as well as it should with the fading light, and she didn't see her target until the last few rays of sunlight reflected off another arrow. She shot but so had the other archer, and Milah only had a second to appreciate that her arrow had burrowed into his skull before his arrow hit her in the chest. It all happened in just a few seconds, and by the time Fili and Kili realized what was going on and had their weapons drawn it was over and Milah was on the ground, one hand around the arrow that had gone into her lung as she gasped for breath.

"Milah!" Fili dropped his swords and ran to her, kneeling by her side as she tried in vain to sit up. "Kili, run to town quickly, get help!" He ordered, already knowing that the single assassin was the only one in the trees and with him dead they were safe.

Kili thought about protesting for a moment but quickly put the thought away as he saw Milah struggling to breathe. The younger dwarf ran as fast as he could, looking over his shoulder only once with his weapon drawn to make sure there were no other threats in the trees before continuing forward with all the speed his short legs would give him. Meanwhile Fili held Milah, trying to get her to calm down so she wouldn't squirm and accidentally move the arrow.

"It's okay, Kili's gone to get help and he'll be back in just a moment. Don't move okay? You're going to be fine." Fili whispered, feeling tears well up in the corners of his eyes.

"No, I won't…..Make it." Milah coughed, feeling the arrow shift with each breath she took. Her lung was collapsed and the help would not come in time, she could feel herself slipping away in almost the same way she had when she defeated Alduin and felt herself being pulled into what she thought would be the afterlife.

"Don't say that, you'll be alright. Please Milah, don't leave me." A few tears slipped down Fili's cheek, falling onto Milah's forehead as he looked down at her and held one of her hands tightly.

"I'm sorry….Fili…." Milah smiled, oddly enough, and let go of the arrow to reach up and wipe his tears away gently. "No matter what I…..I don't want you to g-grieve for me. Burn my b-body and scatter…..My ashes to the winds. I will always be…..Be with you in spirit." Her voice was getting weaker and her breathing more ragged, and Milah knew she didn't have long. With the last bit of her strength the Khajiit leaned up and gave Fili a kiss. A real kiss, one she wished she hadn't waited three years and until she was on her death bed to share with him.

When they parted Milah closed her eyes then was still. Her spirit slipped from her body and all she could do was look back as Fili cried over her body before she was lost to the darkness. Kili arrived with a few others shortly after she had faded, though he could tell by his brother's sobs and how still Milah was that they were too late. All he could do was lay a hand on Fili's shoulder and bite his lip so that he would not cry as well.

"I'm sorry, Fili. I ran as fast as I could and -" Kili tried to make it right, but he was cut off as Fili stood before turning around and pulling him into a hug.

"It's okay, I understand. There was nothing we could have done. But…..I want to honor her last wishes, we need to make a funeral pyre for her." Fili let his brother go, wiping away his own tears and trying not to seem like such a mess.

Kili nodded, directing the four others who had come with him to start gathering the wood and building a pyre. Three did as directed, following after him, though the last stayed. After a few moments he stepped a little closer, looking down at the body they were to burn before turning his gaze to Fili.

"She must have meant a lot to you. I'm sorry we could not be here in time to save her." His voice was sincere, and Fili took a bit of comfort in that as he once again knelt by her side.

"Yes. She was like a big sister to us both, and she was so determined to show Thorin that she could be trusted." Fili unclasped the necklace from around her neck, holding the pendant in his hand and feeling the warmth that was there along with the places where the stones had been rubbed smooth and the metal between them had a bit of a circular rut worn into them from her fingers circling the stones. He was going to keep it as a memento of her, and the rest of her belongings would go up in flames.

The pyre was built quickly, and once the food and water had been removed from her bag Milah was placed atop it just as she was before the dwarves set it ablaze and stood back to watch. The others hadn't known her, but had she lived she would have been a member of the company and she was clearly important to the brothers so they stayed to show their support. The fire burned until there was nothing left but a pile of charred wood and ashes, even her weapons had been reduced to just smoldering metal, though oddly the symbol from the hilt of her sword remained intact and so did the one from her armor. Kili reached in and removed them just in time for a clap of thunder to resound in the skies followed by a downpour that seemed to have come out of nowhere, for the skies had been clear when Milah died. It was as if the heavens themselves were raining down to mourn her death as Kili handed the symbol from her armor to his brother then held his hand.

"Wha…..Amon?" Milah blinked her golden eyes, staring up into the face of the little white haired vampire and clearly confused.

"Welcome back sleepy. Did you have a nice dream?" Amon giggled a bit, moving back to Milah could sit up.

"How long have I been out?" Milah asked, looking at the room around her and trying to figure out where she was.

"Just a few days. You didn't answer my question." Amon raised an eyebrow at her friend, wondering if she was simply avoiding or if she hadn't had the time to process the question at first.

"I guess I did. But….It was three years…." She whispered, placing one hand over her chest before pulling up the shirt she had on and noticing that there were scars in her shoulder and chest where the arrows had struck. They hadn't been there before, had they?

"Maybe in your dream. I had a dream like that once, in one night I was there for years with a nice young man who gave me a rose." Amon reached for a glass of water on the bedside table and handed it to Milah, indicating she should drink from it. "In any case, we're back in Lakeview Manor. And by we I mean you, me and Brynjolf. I can send him up to see you, if you like."

"No I….I'm not up for seeing him right now. Will you please tell him I'm awake and I'll see him in a bit, though? And bring me a parchment and a quill and some ink, please." Milah finished the water and set the glass down, sighing as she looked at the ceiling.

Amon nodded and went to do as Milah had asked her, bringing the Khajiit the things she asked for before going downstairs to talk to Brynjolf on her behalf. In the meantime Milah began to sketch, drawing out the faces of Fili and Kili. Even if it was just a dream it had all felt so real, right down to that last kiss she had given the blonde as she lay dying in his arms. She didn't want to forget their faces, and once they were drawn out on the parchment she put the small pieces inside the drawer of her bedside stand. Later she would put them inside the cover of the book that chronicled the Khajiit creation myth and smile whenever she saw them. For no matter how many times she fell asleep and tried to dream of Middle Earth she never went back there again, but their faces were smiling at her every time she went to reread the myth of her people and she would never forget them or how much they had meant to her while she was in their realm.

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A/N - That's it, last chapter! I hope you guys have enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it over the past week or so. Oh, and Amon belongs to my partner Lilith. If you want more of the crazy Skyrim vampire child, you can find her in Lilith's other story True Loves Comes in Small Packages and alongside my Argonian character Fate in our collab story Listen to the Nightingale. You guys have been great, thanks so much for all your love and support :D


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